Nancy Colleton

Nancy Colleton is an internationally respected leader in environmental communication and information. As the president of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) she leads numerous initiatives that promote better understanding of the changing planet.

Ms. Colleton has worked vigorously with senior-level government and industry executives to increase the awareness, value and use of Earth observations and to emphasize the need for a comprehensive strategy to ensure that citizens, business, and government at all levels have the environmental intelligence needed for improved decision making. Through high-visibility meetings, networking, opinion pieces, government liaison, testimony and media appearances, Ms. Colleton has highlighted the need to leverage investment in Earth observations for a growing and diverse user community. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, LiveScience, The Huffington Post, Space News, and SAPIENS, among others. She has also been a guest expert on The Weather Channel.

In addition to serving as the deputy chair of the Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Ms. Colleton leads the Alliance for Earth Observations and co-chairs the Environmental Information Services Working Group (EISWG) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Science Advisory Board.

Although she may be best known for communicating the importance of space-based satellites to monitor the Earth, Ms. Colleton also supports more down-to-Earth programs that engage children in doing science. She founded IGES’ Thacher Environmental Research Contest, which provides monetary awards annually to high school students illustrating the best use of space-based Earth observations for better understanding of the changing planet. She was also instrumental in the development of IGES’ environmental art and photography student contests. After more than 15 years supporting these education efforts, she is proud to say that IGES possesses a truly remarkable and beautiful collection of children’s environmental art.